IT’S MARCH MADNESS TIME AND I AGAIN INTEND TO PRODUCE AT LEAST A $2,000 PROFIT FOR $10 BETTORS JUST AS I HAVE DONE FOR 10 OF THE LAST 12 YEARS – Kelso Sturgeon

Hurley Turns Vegas on its Head

On Sunday Jim’s DOG DUO not only covered the spread but in each case WON THE GAME OUTRIGHT Wake Forest (+2) upset Pitt and Oregon (+6) handled Stanford two more dogs Play em’ STRAIGHT AND WIN THE MONEYLINE – AND EVEN BIGGER…Just $15 – Jim Hurley

Kelso - RED-HOT BEST BETS CLUB GOES FOR 3 MARQUEE TV WINNERS

My Best Bets Basketball Club is absolutely on fire and is coming off a 6-1 weekend that included five underdog winners, three of which got the cash straight up. The winning continues tonight with a three-team marquee TV package that will be headed by a 15-unit play on #1 Kentucky (29-0) at Georgia (19-9) game. – Kelso Sturgeon

Jim Hurley - TOURNAMENT SEEDING STARTS TONIGHT

Hurley plans to go 3-0 TONIGHT. Georget’n/Butler, Rhode Island Dayton, Ole Miss/Alabama, Iowa/Indiana, West VA/Kansas, N.C. State/Clemson, and KY Georgia. THREE OF THESE GAMES ARE SOLID WILL WIN PLAYS…and you can PLAY THIS $35 VALUE FREE – Jim Hurley

Kelso - 25-UNIT PLAY LAUNCHES COLLEGE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

The college conference tournaments—the Horizon League, the Atlantic Sun and Patriot League—begin tonight and within in the eight games scheduled are three teams that have outstanding chances to win and cover the number and I am releasing three of them. – Kelso Sturgeon

Wayne Root March Madness Basketball

Tournament time is when your TV set becomes an ATM machine. Because while the amateurs are betting their lungs on the alma mater or getting hung up on "bracketology," Wayne Allyn Root is focused on getting you the money! – Wayne Root

Tony Salinas - MY RECORD SAYS IT ALL

ony HAS CRUSHED THE OVER/UNDER NUMBER 71% in College and 73% in the NBA…including NBA Total of the Week (Bulls/Wolves Under) on Fri and College Total of the Week (N. Iowa/Wichita State Over) on Sat. Tonight’s two best ADD UP to Tony’s TOTALS PARLAY OF THE WEEK…$20/p? – Tony Salinas

Tony Salinas - Tournament Tuesday

First Tony analyzes the games. He BETS THE SAME PLAYS HE RELEASES. Tony is the COMPLETE BASKETBALL HANDICAPPER. A Handicapping Contest Champion “Get his #1 TUESDAY GAME plus Bonus action” …ONLY $25 – Tony Salinas

Richie B - Bashes Bad Lines

22 Lined College Games and a pair of NBA games on the Tuesday night ‘sked’…and as you’d expect Richie B spotted TWO LINES SO OFF that you’ll be getting more FREE POINTS than you’ll need. – Richie Baccellieri

Tony Salinas Fast Break Basketball

The NBA is off and running! College Tip-off- Friday, Nov. 14. Blast the board early and build football bankroll with Tony Salinas – Tony Salinas

Kelso - HIGHROLLERS GO FOR ANOTHER 100-UNIT WINNER TONIGHT

My Personal Best Basketball Club for highrollers is on quite a run, standing 5-0 in its last four 100-unit plays and 1-0 in a 200-unit play—and it is going for another 100-unit winner tonight. – Kelso Sturgeon

The $1,000,000 Basketball Test

The $1,000,000-Proof Basketball TestBasketball Is The Best Sport To BetNow Is The Time To Get The MoneyAND VEGAS LINESMAKER RICHIE BACCELLIERI HAS THE “RIGHT NUMBER” TO GET THE PROFIT – Richie Baccellieri

Wayne Root - TV SLAM!

Sunday Wayne Root said it would be ONE SIDED and the Huskies never let up on the Mustangs. Wayne is now on a 9-3 run with his STEP IN TV PLAYS and you can go ALL IN AGAIN TONIGHT you can Win another TV Blaster. …$35 – Wayne Root

Wayne Root - TUESDAY TOPPLER

t week Kansas State won outright over Kansas, Richmond upset VCU and Wake Forest upended Pittsburgh. Those were just a few of the dogs that won outright released by the Wayne’s Clients. Tonight’s CLASSIC OPPORTUNITY to get FREE POINTS and BIG PROFITS…ONLY $49 – Wayne Root

Richie B - NOW 6-2 IN MY LAST 8 NBA PLAYS

There are 7 games on the NBA schedule tonight and the lines are pretty much right where they should be…EXCEPT FOR ONE. And that is the game that Vegas Line-Maker Richie Baccellieri is going to bet. Tonight Richie makes it 7 of 9 in NBA and you can join him…ONLY $15 – Richie Baccellieri

The Vegas Sports Masters

Kelso Sturgeon is not a shadow or a mirage. I am a real person, a man who has been handicapping football for more than 4 decades, and I bring to the table a set of credentials you can't find anywhere else in this business.

And so there is no misunderstanding, Kelso Sturgeon is my real name and I make my home in Las Vegas, the betting capital of the world.

Wayne Allyn Root is the only man to create a multi-million dollar empire out of nothing but picking winners! Long-time host of his own shows on Fox and USA Network, he has been celebrated in the business press and by all the TV pundits. He set the record for most outright upset winners in football in three different seasons and has enjoyed another winning and profitable basketball season. Wayne is the only oddsmaker/handicapper with his own Star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

JIM HURLEY is the founder and president of the most unusual organization in sports wagering.

Created as a small handicapping service back in 1985, Jim's NETWORK has evolved into a nationwide TASK FORCE of, handicappers, scouts, number crunchers, draftniks and former pro players who study and analyze every team and every game to develop BETTER information, make SMARTER picks and win MORE money!

In simple words, Jim's system approach to handicapping picks more winners and makes more money for their customers. And they are able to do this not because they are a one-man band, but because of the "TEAM" approach that utilizes a huge information gathering system to fine tune every selection.

But because they truly are a "Network" and cover the colleges and pros wall-to-wall, they know what's going on inside the locker rooms and dugouts. They know who's hot, who's hurt and who's ready to kick butt. NETWORK’s computer department analyzes upcoming matchups like it was the Dow Jones. They dig beneath surface factors to find out how two teams really compare. Who needs it more? Who's tapped out? Who's out for revenge? NETWORK finds those answers.

So when they run NETWORK'S number up against Vegas', we can immediately spot whether a game is off, and how much, and just cherrypick the contests that are giving us the most points

That's why JIM has racked up twentyone consecutive money making season for his customers.

Now what about YOU? Wouldn't you like to know who the big winners are going to be this week? NETWORK can tell you. Want to make money off that knowledge? Jim's NETWORK can help you there, too.

Want the best shot at the most money? There are dozens of ways to get you there, no matter what your wagering patterns or budget. So, why not get started NOW!

In case you don't know me, for years people in Vegas knew Richie B as a kind of linesmaker's linesmaker - a kind of numerical purist who, when every other sports book in Vegas was posting Ohio State (-7) over Texas, I was saying... "NO! It ought to be Ohio State (-8)!"

I took a position. I didn't just put up a "betting middle" where I could draw even betting action from both sides. Instead - if I really felt the Buckeyes were stronger than generally thought - I'd put up (-8) or even (-9) and dare the bettors, "Come and get me! Prove me wrong!"

Tony Salinas arrived in Las Vegas over two decades ago fresh from the family ranch in Texas, looking for the next winning thing. After all, he'd always been a winner back home... captain of the football team, State Champion tennis player, point guard for the district-winning basketball team, and Texas Calf Roping Champion in both high school & College.

Tony was an immediate hit, winning the $85,000 Castaways Challenge of 1980, and has never looked back. Tony is the proud winner of over a dozen handicapping contests, including two years ago when he beat out 226 other rivals to take the title in the $135,000 Hilton Superbook Handicapping Championship.

Jim Feist for decades has been the leader in the sports wagering information field. Beginning in the 1970s Jim has been ahead of the curve with Proline, the longest running sports football handicapping show on USA Cable Network and the Internet. Also, National Sports Services, utilizing the first telephone line services (Jim Feist’s Personal Line Service), former publisher of the Official Nevada Rotation, creator of Sports Tracker, Internet Web Sites (Jim Feist.com; DonBest.com)

In the world of Handicapping, the average bettor is up against a well financed, information-rich, experienced Casino Sportsbooks and Linesmakers.ARE YOU STANDING ALONE AGAINST ALL ODDS?YOU ARE NO LONGER ALONE!Five professional handicappers have stepped forward to beat the line. If getting one strong man to help you win a fight, surely finding six is a dream come true. Isn't it time you learned more about the Vegas Sports Masters?

Blog Headlines

As you map out the possible spots on the schedule that could provide a pothole for Kentucky’s ride to an undefeated season…Tuesday night’s road game at Georgia represents the biggest danger until possibly the Sweet 16 round of the Big Dance.

*It’s Kentucky’s last true road game of the entire campaign

*Kentucky will be prohibitive home favorites over disappointing Florida Saturday

*Kentucky may be double digit favorites in every round of the SEC tournament

*Kentucky will be HUGE favorites vs. a #16 seed in the Dance’s first round

I sure don’t envy oddsmakers who are trying to post accurate numbers here in Las Vegas right after the All-Star Break in the NBA. It’s mind-boggling how many bad misses there have been in recent days. But, it’s not necessarily the fault of oddsmakers. So many NBA teams are barely trying!

How do you properly price games when…

*Many teams are TRYING to lose. It’s now become the “analytics” mindset that bad teams should be as horrible as possible because it’s cheap (big profits from TV money vs. low expenses) and it positions them well for the draft (where they can bring…

Tournament action officially begins Tuesday night with the first round of the Horizon League event. The Ohio Valley begins Wednesday. Later in the week, the Missouri Valley, Metro Atlantic, Ohio Valley, Colonial, West Coast, and Southern Conference tournaments get underway.

If you’re like most sports bettors, you’ve barely paid attention to any of those conferences. Sure, you know about Wichita State and Northern Iowa in the MVC, and Gonzaga out West. But, otherwise, it’s all a mystery to you. Even longtime veterans sometimes get confused about whether a team is in the Ohio Valley or the Southern Conference.The best advice for…

Seems like it was just a few hours ago what Iowa State was ready to join Kansas in a first place tie at the top of the Big 12 standings. A win over Baylor was going to put them at 11-4, knotted up with the Jayhawks. And, the Cyclones led the Baylor game late. Then…

*COLLAPSE! Iowa State fell apart in the closing minutes and lost to Baylor

*STUNNER! Iowa State then fell apart late in the closing minutes of a loss at Kansas State

Suddenly 11-4 is only 10-6. And, suddenly, Iowa State is in a three-way tie for third place in…

THE COLLEGE HOOPS REPORT:GONZAGA’S WEEKEND LOSS ISEVERYONE’S GAIN IN THE CHASEFOR A #1 NCAA TOURNAMENT SEED …PLUS WE PEAK AHEAD AT THE STARTOF THE CONFERENCE TOURNIES

Don’t believe for a single minute that the only story in this year’s NCAA Basketball season is whether or not the Kentucky Wildcats (29-0, 16-0 SEC) stay perfect right throughout the 2015 championship game next month at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.In fact, one of the other big stories this hoops season is trying to avoid the aforementioned Kentucky Wildcats as long as you can in this year’s NCAA Tourney -- and the best way…

This wasn’t much doubt about this three weeks into January. Virginia had earned its spot just behind Kentucky in the national polls. They were undefeated in the ACC…which had a slew of very good teams. Virginia was FOR REAL!

Now, though, there are some serious questions about that…at least in terms of being a true #1 seed and a National Championship contender. Heading into Monday Night’s game at Syracuse, and then next Saturday’s visit to Louisville (both will be nationally televised), the Cavaliers are on the heels of a 3-7 run against the spread that’s suggesting the markets and the media…

This great matchup has been time-changed to 3:30 p.m. ET for ABC television. That means you get to see potential 2015 MVP James Harden battling “best player in the world” LeBron James (health permitting) in a game that should at least have a playoff feel even if it’s not likely to be a championship preview.

Sure, Cleveland is once again the favorite to win the East after dismantling West leader Golden State this past Thursday Night. Houston is a longshot to survive the brutal West because there are so many great teams…and because it’s easier for GREAT teams to reduce Harden’s…

The Wisconsin Badgers have a strong hold on first place in the Big 10 conference. But, they’d like to resettle their ship after a surprisingly bad performance earlier this week at Maryland. The rash of upsets that hit college basketball helped remind everyone how vulnerable the “powers” actually were. One bad shooting game will be all it takes to end a season in the Dance!

As we’ve mentioned already in the blog…the Badgers have a tough week ahead of them. Michigan State is just on the outside of the AP’s top 25 (#27 if the rankings went down that far), and…

The jury is still out on how nationally relevant Pac 12 powers Arizona and Utah will be in the NCAA tournament. They’ve been highly regarded by the polls and computers all season. Yet, each has shown occasional signs of weakness that have cast doubt on whether or not they really measure up to the best in the sport.

*Utah has played some horrible games away from home…and the NCAA Tournament will be played away from home!

*Arizona will periodically go into walk-abouts where they slack off on defense and don’t do anything on offense. You can get away with that in a…

So, here’s what we had to say in this very edition of Jim Sez one year ago to the day – and so let’s say it again:“And you thought we’d never get here, right?

Well, the calendar page turns to say March here on Sunday but the ‘madness’ has already begun with major free-for-alls for a batch of available at-large NCAA Tournament bids and here’s how we see the big picture in terms of NCAA Tournament berths per major conference – feel free to disagree with…

Only two games matter this year in the regular season of the Missouri Valley Conference. Those are the two games where conference powers Northern Iowa and Wichita State play each other! Round two of that heavyweight attraction goes Saturday at 2 p.m. ET in the regular season finale for both universities. They will be co-favorites to win the Missouri Valley tournament that begins Thursday (Arch Madness in St. Louis!).

It’s been very hard to separate these teams. They’ve followed each other in virtual lockstep all season…co-favorites in their league…the two best mid-majors behind Gonzaga (but, conceivably better than Gonzaga given how…

Syracuse visits Duke early Saturday afternoon, fresh off a big road upset of #9 Notre Dame. Those of you who follow college basketball know that the Orange has already kicked themselves out of the postseason in advance of potential issues with the NCAA. Will Saturday’s revenge trip to Duke continue an “us against the world” string of upsets?

Still ahead for Syracuse:

Saturday: at #4 Duke

Monday: vs. #2 Virginia

March 7: at Dance-contender NC State

And…that’s it! No ACC tournament the following week. No worries about being a bubble team sweating the NCAA’s or the NIT (Syracuse would be right on the bubble right…

THE COLLEGE ROUND-BALL REPORT:QUICK-HITTER LOOKS AT SATURDAY’SKEY TOP 25 GAME MATCHUPS INCLUDING #18 ARKANSAS AT #1 KENTUCKY,#10 NORTHERN IOWA AT #11 WICHITA STATE… PLUS MORE!

No doubt about it:The month of February is “going out like a lion” with a slew of fun matchups on tap Saturday and so let’s zip ‘round the land and check in on all the Associated Press Top 25 head-to-head tilts and also weigh in on what NCAA Tournament seeds these ranked teams figure to have next month:

I warned you to look out for this (like I do every year), yet the mainstream media continues to be shocked by the bad results going up on the board for national powers. Just this past Monday, I talked about the disappointing weekend for Western powers Gonzaga, Arizona, and Utah. After that article went up, we’ve seen…

#4 DUKE forced to overtime against one of the worst major conference teams in the country. You may have watched some of the game Wednesday night where the 16-point favorites were life and death with Virginia Tech. It looked just like those recent Dance…

Earlier this week I talked about the importance of exploiting college basketball teams with dramatic home road splits. Today, I want to talk about the importance of finding good road teams. This is paramount in terms of projecting how teams will perform next month in neutral site tournaments. Teams who can win anywhere are best suited for success in conference tournaments and the Big Dance. Teams who are only scary at home are upset fodder in the brackets.

Here’s some homework for you…

*Gather straight up and ATS records just in ROAD or NEUTRAL COURT games for all the teams you follow.…

THE COLLEGE HOOPS REPORT:#1 KENTUCKY ROLLS TO 28-AND-OHWITH 74-56 WIN OVER MISS STATE …PLUS IT’S NOW-OR-NEVER TIME FORA TRIO OF NCAA TOURNEY HOPEFULS AND A LOOK AT THE (MORE-THAN-LIKELY)ONE-BID LEAGUES …NBA NEWS & NOTES —THE BULLS WITHOUT ROSE (AND IT’S NOTLOOKING GOOD SO FAR!)

Let the record state that the Kentucky Wildcats still have not lost a hoops game since last year’s national championship tilt — a 60-54 hard-luck loss to the UConn Huskies — and this year’s super-streak continued last night in Starkville where a 24-4 second-half run put the ‘Cats over the top (although most folks “pushed” as Kentucky…

There’s really no doubt that…RIGHT NOW…the Golden State Warriors are playing the best basketball in the Western Conference…and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing the best basketball in the Eastern Conference. Barring injuries to Steph Curry and LeBron James, these teams will be the frontrunners to win their halves of the brackets and meet for the championship trophy.

It’s true that Cleveland won’t be the #1 seed. Atlanta has that virtually locked up already. But, in terms of “recent form,” Cleveland is playing at a championship level while the Hawks have lost a step. You can’t have a more exciting game right…

The sports world is thinking more clearly Wednesday about the sad news involving Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. He’ll be undergoing knee surgery for a damaged meniscus soon, and may have to miss the rest of the season. When the story first broke, you’d have thought that the best player in the league had suffered a career ending injury.

While basketball lovers are sad about Rose’s very poor injury luck, the market has no sympathies. Pricing made it very clear how much Rose is “worth” in betting terms.

We’ll save y’all the trouble of looking it up – nine of the Associated Press Top 25 teams are in action on this final Wednesday night in February and we will pay particular attention here in today’s Jim Sez to #1 Kentucky (of course!), #4 Duke and that snazzy head-to-head Top 25 showdown between #19 Baylor at #12 Iowa State.

Lost in all the hoopla about Kansas State’s rowdy fans storming the court this past Monday Night after an upset of Kansas…was the impact that Jayhawks loss had on the Big 12 race. They fell to even in the loss column with Iowa State…and into a virtual dead heat in respected computers with other contenders like Oklahoma and Baylor.

First, let’s look at the standings…

BIG 12 STANDINGS

Kansas 11-4

Iowa State 10-4

Oklahoma 10-5

West Virginia 9-5 (pending Tuesday’s result vs. Texas)

Baylor 8-6

If Iowa State beats Baylor Wednesday as a small home favorite, we have a tie at the top. And, Oklahoma is just one…

The AP Poll is suggesting Wisconsin is about to play its toughest Big 10 game of the season. The #5 Badgers visit #14 Maryland Tuesday night in a game you can watch on ESPN. Nobody else in the league is even in the top 25 after Ohio State’s debacle at Michigan Sunday (Michigan State would be #27 if the rankings went down that far, Ohio State #30).

Yet…many respected computers don’t have Maryland so highly regarded. In fact, it’s one of the great mysteries of college basketball this season. How can a Maryland team that consistently plays so poorly on the…

In the old days, handicappers used to make a lot of money in college basketball by recognizing which teams had dramatic splits in performance between their home games and their road games. Oddsmakers tended to use very flat Power Ratings when posting their numbers. If you knew which teams were great at home and horrible on the road, you were getting the best of it with your picks, and easily able to find blowout scenarios for your biggest bets.

That’s harder to do these days. It’s still possible, as there are a handful of teams this season showing extremes. But, the…

Even though the three most hyped powers in Western college basketball went 2-1 in their games this weekend, Gonzaga, Arizona, and Utah had such ugly stretches that it became hard to take them seriously as national championship threats. And, that’s even though Gonzaga is likely to be a #1 seed…Arizona will probably be a #2 seed…and Utah will be seeded to reach the Sweet 16.

Let’s take a look…

*GONZAGA trailed almost the whole game late Saturday night vs. St. Mary’s. They did rally late to win…and get a miracle cover because St. Mary’s had one of the epic collapses of all…

Pro basketball oddsmakers and handicappers were hoping the All-Star Break would cut down on the number of stars who were missing games. It’s rather easy to make a representative pointspread this deep into a season when teams are at full strength. When stars get scratched from the lineup? That’s a different story.

Just since the break…

*Kevin Durant is back on the shelf after undergoing a procedure to reduce pain in his foot. When he was on the floor, the market was pricing the Oklahoma City Thunder at what amounted to championship caliber. It didn’t matter what the full season standings showed,…

Wait a second …Did you think the only folks being handed out shiny little statuettes this past weekend were those Hollywood stars/starlets?Sure, “Birdman” cleaned up and a chap named Eddie Redmayne and a veteran actress named Julianne Moore are the respective toasts of the acting world today but now hear this:

We here at Jim Sez don’t like being left out in the cold during the awards season and so in today’s start-of-the-work-week column we’ll join in on the fun-and-games and give…

Heading into Monday Night’s “Big Monday” road game at Georgia Tech, many pundits and handicappers are wondering what’s happened to the Louisville Cardinals. They used to be on the short list of teams who could beat Kentucky. Now, they’re playing like a bubble team!

LOUISVILLE VS. “BUBBLE CALIBER” TEAMS

Louisville (-8.5) barely beat Miami 55-53

Louisville (-2.5) lost at Syracuse 69-59

Louisville (-10.5) lost to NC State 74-65

Sorry…they’re playing worse than bubble teams! That listing represents Louisville’s last three outings. Syracuse has already suspended themselves from postseason play. They’d be on the bubble if they hadn’t. Miami and NC State may or may not…

We’re doing what we can to include mentions of Wichita State and Northern Iowa in our college basketball coverage this season. That’s tough because they play in the Missouri Valley Conference…and the MVC is REALLY weak this season once you get past the Big Two.

Wichita State hosts Evansville Sunday afternoon. Evansville entered the weekend in third place in the MVC…so this is about as good as it’s going to get for any game when Wichita and Northern aren’t playing each other! The problem is…Evansville only ranks #131 in Ken Pomeroy’s national computer ratings. That’s how bad the MVC is this…

WE'LL CLUE YOU IN ON THE UP-TO-THE- MINUTE LAS VEGAS PRICES FOR A BATCH OF OTHER CONTENDING TEAMS...PLUS THERE'S NBA NEWS/NOTES/GOSSIP TOO

So, what's it exactly gonna take to make a buck or two on the still-unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats this year?

The 'Cats are 26-0 overall and 13-0 in the SEC while heading into Saturday night's home game against monstrous underdog Auburn and can we remind you that John Calipari's club is merely 13-13 ATS (against the spread) this 2014-15 campaign and the Las Vegas smart guys/gals right…

It’s the most important game of the year in the West Coast Conference…and the most dangerous spot on #3 Gonzaga’s schedule until the second round of the NCAA tournament. Be sure you stay up late to check out first place Gonzaga at second place St. Mary’s Saturday Night on ESPN2!

You don’t get to see much of Gonzaga on national TV. It’s even more rare to see them in a potential danger spot! It’s not a sure thing this will be a nailbiter. Gonzaga won the first meeting 68-47 at home. But, if ANYBODY is going to make life interesting for…

The Arizona Wildcats have to be wondering what they have to do to start getting serious media attention in the National Championship race. Kentucky is being presented as a juggernaut that nobody can touch. Duke is on TV every other night, with announcers raving about how much they’re doing “with only eight scholarship players.” After the East Coast media goes to bed…Arizona obliterates another Pac 12 foe.

Arizona just beat USC 87-57

Arizona just beat Washington State 86-59

Arizona just beat Washington 86-62

Victory margins of 30, 27, and 24. Those were on the heels of an upset loss against archrival Arizona State. The…

The contenders in the Big 12 this year have a tendency to ebb and flow. They play great for a few games…then they misfire and you wonder what all the hype was about. Then, they start winning again, and you have to figure out if everyone from Kansas on down is a serious NCAA Championship threat…or a pretender playing in an overrated conference.

The Iowa State Cyclones and Texas Longhorns are both on relative upswings of late…looking once again like they belong in the top 20 and on the short list of potential Elite Eight darkhorses. Iowa State just scored a…

It’s going to feel like the NBA Playoffs right off the bat after the All-Star Break in the Eastern Conference Friday Night with a doubleheader featuring four of the “big five” in that conference. In terms of “of the moment” Power Ratings in the East:

*Atlanta and Cleveland are basically co-number one’s, and projected to face each other in the Eastern Finals come May. Cleveland trails in the standings because it took them a long time to get their roster properly filled out. Atlanta is a virtual lock for the #1 seed because of their great first half. But…from this point…

If you were hoping for some monster trade deadline move in NBA-land on Thursday, well, we’re sorry.Maybe in the once-upon-a-time days a trade of Kevin Garnett (back to Minnesota) or point guard Andre Miller (to Sacramento) would have caused a tremor or two but not anymore and so pro hoops fans had to settle for lots of swaps but little with any real bite:

I’ve been watching a lot of games involving the Golden State Warriors this season. Out here in Las Vegas, their games are played in prime time except when they travel East. If you have League Pass, or just pick up the network games…you’ve seen a lot of exceptional basketball from this team in the 2014-15 season.

It’s not an ideal match in terms of personnel and approach. But, the Warriors remind me a lot of the San Antonio Spurs for several reasons. So, it’s fitting that those two teams are playing each other Friday night in a game you can watch…

It’s very important that you bring peak focus and attention to the first few weeks after the NBA All-Star Break. The best teams do! Too many handicappers want to give everyone a few days to get back into the flow. History has made it clear that there are proven strategies smart bettors should be following.

First, the best teams are NOW playing like the games matter. Elite teams who had been pacing themselves through the first 50 games now want to crank things up to get into playoff form. The starters play with more intensity and play more minutes if needed.…

PLUS MORE COLLEGE BASKETBALL UPDATES AS WE RE-CAP DUKE'S 92-90 OT WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA ...PLUS TONIGHT'S TOP TILTS INCLUDING #3 GONZAGA GOING FOR 15 STRAIGHT WINS IN THE WCC

By Jim Hurley:

They're baaaaack!

The National Basketball Association makes its return from a lengthy post-All-Star Game break and lest anyone think otherwise teams have approximately one-third of their regular seasons left to play - thus our headline above calling it the "unofficial" second half.

So, that means it's major scramble mode for the final playoff berth in the NBA's Western Conference along with the…

If we told you that one of the hottest teams in the nation was taking the floor Thursday Night in one of their most important conference games of the season…it might take awhile for you to figure out exactly who we mean. We’re not talking about a ranked superpower…or even a team that’s on the short list of media types for a Cinderella run. It’s a team that’s won and covered seven straight while largely staying off the national radar.

In Philadelphia they know who we’re talking about. And, folks in Dallas may be wary about this team too. The Temple…

There was a lot of buzz earlier this week when the first Regular Season Win Props went up for the 2015 Major League Baseball season. It’s not that baseball is a huge betting sport here in Las Vegas. But, those win totals are popular with sharps who do bet the bases because they’re seen as a six month investment that pays off great returns.

Think of it this way. If you put “x” amount of dollars in the bank, what’s it going to be worth in October? Given interest rates these days…you’ll be looking at a very slight uptick. But, if…

CHECKIN' OUT WEDNESDAY'S TOP TILTS INCLUDING NORTH CAROLINA AT DUKE PLUS SOME KEY POINTSPREAD NOTES

Okay, so it's not #1 versus #2 - we'll grant you that fact -- but go ahead and tell us that you won't be tuning in to watch #15 North Carolina at #4 Duke on this wintry Wednesday night and we won't believe 'ya!

Call it one of the best rivalries in sport - yes, still the best in the world of college basketball - and call it "must-see TV" here as the wounded Tar Heels and the frisky Blue Devils collide for the first of…

The bitter cold that’s gripping the Mid-Atlantic is going to bring uncharacteristically frigid temperatures to Durham, North Carolina over the next few nights. Not a great time to stay out in a tent trying to get basketball tickets! Weather permitting, Duke and North Carolina will renew their storied college basketball rivalry Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

It’s very hard to get a true read on these teams in terms of the national championship race because they haven’t been able to sustain high levels of play. Duke has done a better job of that…which is why they rank higher…

There’s a lot of uncertainty right now about how many teams from the SEC will make the NCAA Tournament next month. Joe Lunardi’s “Bracketology” has an optimistic count of SIX at the moment. But, that’s with both LSU and Texas A&M sitting squarely on the bubble. One of those teams has to lose Tuesday night when they play each other on the SEC Network at 9 p.m. ET. Neither is assured of closing strong and sealing their invitations.

When the undefeated and #1 Kentucky Wildcats take the floor Tuesday at Tennessee (7 p.m. ET on ESPN), the main storyline will be whether or not THIS is the game where Kentucky finally loses. That was the storyline when they played at LSU on TV last week. That was the storyline when they played at Florida in the big prime-time showcase before that.

Even handicapping and betting radio shows here in Las Vegas are talking about it! What are the odds that Kentucky will run the table? Should you bet that they will or they won’t? Is there any value left…

I’ve been struck in recent days by the high number of college basketball teams who are playing below early season standards based on what seem to be “chemistry” issues. In some cases, turmoil is being covered in the team’s local media. In other cases, it’s something you see with your own eyes when watching games on TV. Either way, students here in my College of Advanced Sports Betting and Handicapping should do what they can to recognize these teams and fade them.

Early in the season, avid college basketball fans began circling Monday Night’s Kansas/West Virginia game on their calendars. Kansas was going to be a highly regarded team as usual. But, West Virginia had taken some big strides forward this season…and seemed particularly dangerous at home. There was a time when some computer types saw West Virginia as the best team in the Big 12 with Kansas lagging behind them!

The world has changed a lot since then. This is no longer one of the games of the year in college basketball. And, West Virginia is no longer “unbeatable” at home. These…

THE COLLEGE HOOPS LOWDOWN:KENTUCKY (SURPRISE, SURPRISE)STAYS PERFECT BUT IT’S A LOSTWEEKEND FOR #9 LOUISVILLEAND #12 NORTH CAROLINA …PLUS THE “WATCH-ME-NOW” TEAMS …THE NBA ALL-STAR GAME IS HISTORYBUT WE TAKE SOME FINAL “SHOTS”

Hey, let’s not “bury the lead” and that is the #1 Kentucky Wildcats – now 25-0 overall – are the top story in the land but last Saturday’s rollicking 77-43 win/cover against 18 ½-point underdog South Carolina was far from a fair fight and so the question now is who (if anyone) is gonna challenge up-for-the-Hall-of-Fame head coach John Calipari’s kids?

The opening game of ESPN’s Monday Night twinbill featuring the Pitt Panthers and Virginia Cavaliers has a chance to get very interesting. Pittsburgh has recent wins over North Carolina, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. Virginia has seemingly hit a wall in recent action, going just 1-5 against the spread their last six games. If you’re playing grinders against teams like Wake Forest (only a one-point win at -18 the last time out), you can certainly lose to Pittsburgh!

The problem with calling for a Panthers upset is the fact that Pitt’s highlights have come at home. Yes, they looked great vs. North…

Though the majority of the NBA is playing “about as expected” entering the 2015 All-Star Break, two of the bigger surprises could have a direct bearing on the championship picture.

*The Golden State Warriors have reached a level of excellence many thought unimaginable in the brutal Western Conference. New head coach Steve Kerr fixed what had ailed the plodding offense of prior coach Mark Jackson…and intensified the defense even more. Too many casual followers don’t realize that Golden State has the best DEFENSE in the league when you look at a per-possession basis. Combine an explosive fast-paced offense with the best…

Before the season started, it looked like the game between the defending National Champion Connecticut Huskies and the rapidly improving SMU Mustangs might be the showcase game of the year in the American Athletic Conference. ESPN sure thought that, and locked the matchup in for GameDay coverage over Valentine’s Weekend.

Well, love may not be in the air for UCONN given their surprising fade this season! They’re heading into “Big D” without any “O!” The offense has fallen off the map. And, the Huskies may have already fallen out of serious bracket consideration for the 2015 Big Dance. The defending champs…

Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - The ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks set their sights on the outright Big 12 title on Tuesday evening, as they play host to the 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at Allen Fieldhouse.

Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - With their second straight Big East Conference crown in tow, the fourth-ranked Villanova Wildcats will try to keep the momentum going as they visit the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday night.

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - This time last year, not only did it seem strange to see former Delaware football coach K.C. Keeler in Sam Houston blue, white and orange, but there was little telling what his lineup would look like in the 2014 season.

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Every Big South Conference team began November with at least a .500 record last season - an amazing fact - and before the month was over, its co-champions, Coastal Carolina and Liberty, had spots in the FCS playoffs.

Tony Salinas goes 3-1 Tuesday after a 2-1 Monday and 4-1 Sunday. Tony is 6-0 in college hoops last 3 days!

Jim Hurley's CASHLINENOW 10-0 LAST 4 DAYS after 3-0 Wednesday Night with Northwestern, St. Joseph's and Tulsa! Jim went 2-0 Tuesday night with TWO OUTRIGHT UNDERDOGS! Maryland (+6) over Wisconsin 59-53, and Alabama (+4) over South Carolina 59-11!